Community Chat

[gloriajean]

Be inspired to try something new and much of what you dream can
become your life. Lord, thank you for giving me the freedom of choice,
and grant me the courage to experience my opportunities and create
new ones.


Scripture for the day:

"There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every
affair under the heavens." ~Ecclesiastes 3:1

Meditation for the day:

There is a time for everything. We can learn to wait patiently until
the right time comes. Easy does it. We can waste our energies in
trying to get things before we are ready to have them, before we have
earned the right to receive them. A great lesson we have to learn is
how to wait with patience. We can believe that all our life is a
preparation for something better to come when we have earned the right
to it. We can believe that God has a plan for our lives and that this
plan will work out in the
fullness of time.

Prayer for the day:

I pray that I may learn the lesson of waiting patiently. I pray that
I may not expect things until I have earned the right to have them.

Greetings my friends! Hope you all had a good Saturday! It was a bit cold
this morning but it warmed up later on - Linus had to work, but he wasn't
too tired that we were invited to have supper at Lori's so we went and she
made steak on the grill, her own garden carrots she was so proud of, and she
fried some mushrooms and onions for over the steak - everything was
delicious and I didn't have to cook!!! She has quite a bit of tomatoes
ripening now and she wants to can some more soon. After Supper we played a
game of Dominoes. I talked to Linda today, my friend and former neighbor -
remember she's the one that has cancer in the lung and is awaiting surgery
at the Mayo Clinic? Also they will operate on the tumor on her thyroid, and
maybe fix something on her bladder if they can - she only as 3/4 kidney
left - had cancer there - and her brother will try to be a match for her to
be a donor for a kidney transplant.
I am trying to be there for her, and just so she has someone to talk to -
her family is hard to talk to as they all are having a difficult time with
all of this, especially her husband and he has heart problems. Please keep
Linda L in your prayers - she'll take all the prayers she can get!!! I put
her on my prayer lines. Linda is more than 10 years younger than me!
This reminds me of my friend, Connie. Does anyone remember Connie? She had
lung cancer too, but it stayed in the lung - and she went thru a lot of
chemo etc. But Linda also has to start going to Dialysis and not looking
forward to that. Connie had the lung cancer for 7 years, I believe before
it came back and killed her. I still miss her! She was a good friend.
My blessings today would be the weather, my visits with Linda on the phone,
and I called my sister, Deil, today to ask what she knows about my sister.
Sr. LaDonna, who moved back to the Monastery in Rochester, MN yesterday. I
tried to call her cell phone but she isn't getting my messages, maybe has it
turned off. My sister, Ethel, gave her the cell phone, and is paying $30.00
a month for it for her to have - I thought that was very nice of her. I
do hope I hear from her soon. She goes on her trip to Medjudgorjia on the
6th for a few weeks.

SPIRITUAL HOUSEKEEPING
Author Unknown


I do not know about you but I don't like cockroaches. We had them in a
house that we bought in Long Island. I did not know anything about
hiring exterminators so I decided to get rid of them myself. I bought
a sprayer and bought some chemicals to kill them. To measure the
chemicals I took a
measuring spoon and wired it to the outside of the sprayer. I did this
to make sure that I didn't make a mistake and use the measuring spoon
again in the house. How could I ever clean it well enough to use it
again safely for cooking?


Imagine going in your china closet, getting one of your best crystal
glasses, and then using it to measure chemicals to kill the bugs
around your house. Then let's imagine that you take it in the house
and wash it. Would you dare to use it again? Of course not! It would
be contaminated with a toxic film invisible to your eye that might
poison anyone who used this glass.


Now imagine that your soul and mine are like this glass. It has been
so easy for me to fall victim to the attractive but false temptations
of our contemporary world. For example, power, money, liquor, s&x, and
possessing more and more material possessions are alluring. These are
played up so seductively on television and in the media. These can
become our golden calves, our false idols! Who has time for God or
Church? Perhaps unwittingly or even deliberately I have filled up my
glass with these toxins
that may kill my soul and potentially others whom I know and love. We
call these toxins sin. This mix more importantly is toxic to God and
poisons our relationship with Him. The worst of these is so strong
that it totally poisons our relationship with God.


Imagine that we determine to do better and try to rid ourselves of
these toxins. Can you or I wash the glass of our soul clean enough by
ourselves? It would be like trying to wash the lethal chemicals out of
our glass with household soap.


Let's assume, however, that we turn to Our Savior, Jesus Christ, and
ask Him with a contrite heart to wash our glass. Is there a sin that
He cannot forgive? His Mercy is boundless. He died to redeem us of our
sins and is prepared always to forgive us.


How can we avoid refilling the glass to the brim with another toxic
brew? This also is very difficult to do by ourselves. No matter how I
have tried to do this the devil always seems to find a way to slip a
temptation in my life when I am weak. My glass, you see, is terribly
weak and fragile. The toxins once again begin to fill my glass.


Imagine that Christ not only cleans our glass but also puts a
protective substance in the glass that makes it difficult for the
devil to introduce any more toxins. Is this possible? The answer is
yes. We call this protection grace. The Sacraments are the greatest
source of this protection. The more grace that we have in our glass
the stronger that this protection is. The greatest of the Sacraments
is the Communion. We have the blessing and privilege to be able to
receive Our Divine Savior, Jesus Christ, Body and Blood, Soul and
Divinity, in Communion. The grace that He brings surpasses all human
understanding. Communion is the food of Eternal Life. Jesus Himself,
who suffered and died for us on the Cross, gives Himself willingly,
joyfully, lovingly, mercifully, to us. This protection increases the
more frequently that we receive Communion. The devil, compared to
Christ, is a grain of sand. When Christ fills our soul there is no
room for the toxins that the devil seeks to tempt us with. May we get
in the habit of receiving Jesus in the Communion as often as we can to
take full advantage of this protection.


When Christ has cleaned and filled the glass of our soul whom do you
imagine others see when they look at us? My we pray that they no
longer see us - - but only see Jesus Christ Himself!

Barbers Do Not Exist

A man went to a barber shop to have his hair and beard cut as always. He
started to have a good conversation with the barber who attended him. They
talked about so many things and various subjects. Suddenly, they touched on
the subject of God.

The barber said: "Look man, I don't believe that God exists as you say."

"Why do you say that?" asked the client.

"Well, it's so easy, you just have to go out in the street to realize that
God does not exist. Tell me, if God existed, would there be so many sick
people? Would there be abandoned children? If God existed, there would be no
suffering nor pain. I can't think of loving a God who permits all of these
things."

The client thought for a moment, but not wanting to respond so as to cause
an argument, he kept his thoughts to himself.

The barber finished his job and the client paid and left the shop. Just
after he left he saw a man in the street with a long hair and beard (it
seemed that it had been a long time since he had his hair cut and he looked
so untidy). Then the client turned around and walked back into the barber
shop and said to the barber:

"You know what? Barbers do not exist."

"How can you say I don't exist?" asked the barber. "Well, I am here and am a
barber."

"No!" the client exclaimed. "They don't exist because if they did did there
would be no people with long hair and beards like that man walking there in
the street."

"Ah, barbers do exist, what happens is that people do not come to me."

"Exactly!" - affirmed the client. "That's the point. God does exist. What
happens is people don't go to Him and do not look for Him. That's why
there's so much pain and suffering in the world."

There once was a little boy who had a bad temper.. His Father gave him a bag
of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a
nail into the back of the fence.

The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few
weeks, as he learned to control his anger, the
number of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was
easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence.
Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all.

He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull
out one nail for each day that he was able
to hold his temper.

The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that
all the nails were gone.


The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said, 'You
have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence.
The fence will never be the same.When you say things in anger, they leave a
scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out.
But It won't matter how many times you say I'm sorry, the wound will still
be there. A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one..

P. S. Please forgive me if I have ever left a 'hole' in your fence.

Healed and Whole
One day I dug a little hole
and put my hurt inside
I thought that I could just forget
I'd put it there to hide.

But that little hurt began to grow
I covered it every day
I couldn't leave it and go on
It seemed the price I had to pay.

My joy was gone, my heart was sad
Pain was all I knew.
My wounded soul enveloped me
Loving seemed too hard to do.

One day, while standing by my hole
I cried to God above
And said, "If You are really there --
They say, You're a God of love!"

And just like that -- He was right there
And just put His arms around me
He wiped my tears, His hurting child
There was no safer place to be.

I told Him all about my hurt
I opened up my heart
He listened to each and every word
To every sordid part.

I dug down deep and got my hurt
I brushed the dirt away
And placed it in the Master's hand
And healing came that day.

He took the blackness of my soul
And set my spirit FREE!
Something beautiful began to grow
Where the hurt used to be.

And when I look at what has grown
Out of my tears and pain
I remember every day to give my hurts to Him
And never bury them again.


Author Unknown

Tomorrow is the Feast of the Guardian Angels:

Guardian Angels

Heavenly Father, You have sent angels to relay Your messages to us, to
protect us from danger, and to rescue us from the Evil One. I thank You for
the precious gift of these holy guardians that You assigned to me and my
loved ones. O Lord, give us Your help through our angels to fend off the
evil spirits that tempt us, that send us deceptive messages, that try to
cause divisions, and all others who seek the ruin of our souls. I also pray
that the guardian angels of my church, my town and my nation will have all
the strength and power they need to protect us from the snares and attacks
of wickedness. Guardian angels, pray for us. Amen.

The Light of the World

Almighty God who art the light of the world,
grant us thy heavenly blessing.
May the radiance of Your light
illumine our hearts and
brighten our home with the
spirit of faith and love.
Let the light of Your Presence guide us,
for in Your light do we see light.
Bless us also with Your Spirit,
that happiness and peace may ever abide
in all men. Amen.

For Linda, and all who are suffering from cancer, and other illnesses:

Dear Jesus,

Divine Physician and Healer of the Sick,
we turn to You in this time of illness.
O dearest Comforter of the Troubled,
alleviate our worry and sorrow with Your gentle love,
and grant us the grace and strength to accept this burden.

Dear God,
we place our worries in Your hands.
We ask that You restore Your servant to health again.

Above all,
grant us the grace to acknowledge Your holy will
and know that whatsoever You do,
You do for the love of us.

Amen.

And a prayer to Mary - our Heavenly Mother:

Good Night To Our Blessed Mother

Night is falling dear Mother, the long day is o'er!
And before thy loved image I am kneeling once more
To thank thee for keeping me safe through the day
To ask thee this night to keep evil away.

Many times have I fallen today, Mother Dear,
Many graces neglected, since last I knelt here;
Wilt thou not in pity, my own Mother mild,
Ask Jesus to pardon the sins of thy child?

I am going to rest, for the day's work is done,
Its hours and its moments have passed one by one;
And the God who will judge me has noted them all,
He has numbered each grace, He has counted each fall.

In His book they are written against the last day,
O Mother, ask Jesus to wash them away;
For one drop of His blood which for sinners was spilt,
Is sufficient to cleanse the whole world of its guilt.

And if ere the dawn I should draw my last breath
And the sleep that I take be the long sleep of death,
Be near me, dear Mother, for dear Jesus' sake
When my soul on Eternity's shore shall awake.

Good night everyone - Sweet dreams and may you all have a very blessed
Sunday!! God bless you!!